From The Doctrines For Spiritual Christianity
This One God is Substance itself and Form itself and angels and men are substances and forms from Him, and so far as they are in Him and He in them are images and likenesses of Him. As God is Esse He is also Substance; for unless Esse is substance it is a figment of the reason; for substance has subsistent being. Moreover, one who is a substance is also a form; for unless a substance is a form it is a figment of the reason. Wherefore both substance and form may be predicated of God, but in the sense that He is the only, the very, and the primal Substance and Form… this Form is the verily Human Form, that is, God is verily Man, infinite in every respect … angels and men are substances and forms created and organised for receiving what is Divine flowing into them through heaven. For this reason they are called in the Book of Creation “images and likenesses of God” (Genesis 1:26, 27); and elsewhere “His sons,” and “born of Him.” … so far as man lives under Divine direction, that is, suffers himself to be led by God, so far he becomes an image of God more and more interiorly. Unless an idea is formed of God as the primal Substance and Form, and of His Form as the verily Human Form, the human mind may easily involve itself in spectral fancies about God Himself, the origin of man, and the creation of the world. It would then have no other conception of God than as the nature of the universe in its first principles, that is, as its expanse, or else as emptiness or nothingness; nor any other conception of man’s origin than as a flowing together of elements into that form by mere chance; nor of the creation of the world than that its substances and forms originated in points, and afterwards in geometrical lines, which are essentially nothing, because nothing can be predicated of them. (True Christian Religion 20{2})
The Divine Esse which is God in Himself is the Itself, they illustrated thus: God is the Itself because He is love itself and wisdom itself, that is, He is good itself and truth itself, and therefore life itself. Unless these in God were love and wisdom itself and were good and truth itself and therefore life itself, they would not be anything in heaven and in the world, because there would be nothing in them related to the Itself. Every quality is what it is from the fact that there is an Itself in which it originates, and to which it must be related in order to be what it is. This Itself, which is the Divine Esse, is not in place; but it is present with and in those who are in place in accordance with their reception of it, since place, or progress from place to place, cannot be predicated of love and wisdom nor of good and truth, nor of life therefrom, which are Itself in God, and are even God Himself. On this rests His omnipotence. So the Lord says that He is in the midst of them, and that He is in them and they in Him. (True Christian Religion 25{3})
That man lives from the Lord alone, and not of himself is established by the following reasons: There is one sole essence, one sole substance, and one sole form, from which are all the essences, substances and forms that have been created. This one sole essence, substance and form, is the Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, from which are all things relating to love and wisdom in man. It is also Good itself and Truth itself to which all things have relation; and these are life, which is the source of the life of all and of all things pertaining to life. Moreover, the One Only and the Self is Omnipresent, Omniscient and Omnipotent; and this One Only and the Self is the Lord from eternity, or Jehovah. … This one sole essence, substance and form is the Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, from which are all things relating to love and wisdom in man… In man the things which appear to live have relation to his will and his understanding; and that these two constitute the life of man everyone perceives and acknowledges from his reason. What else is there in life except “I will this, and I understand this,” or in other words, “I love this, and I think this?” As a man wills what he loves, and thinks what he understands, so all things of the will relate to love, and all things of the understanding to wisdom; and since love and wisdom cannot exist in anyone from himself, but only from Him who is Love itself and Wisdom itself it follows that they exist from the Lord who is from eternity, that is, Jehovah. If they did not exist from this source man would be love itself and wisdom itself, thus God from eternity; but from this human reason itself recoils. Nothing can exist except from what is prior to itself; and this prior thing can exist only from what is still prior to it, and thus finally only from the First which is in its Self. (Divine Providence 157)
Of things created and finite, Esse [Being] and Existere [Taking Form] can be predicated, likewise substance and form, also life, and even love and wisdom; but these are all created and finite. This can be said of things created and finite, not because they possess anything Divine, but because they are in the Divine, and the Divine is in them. For everything that has been created is, in itself, inanimate and dead, but all things are animated and made alive by this, that the Divine is in them, and that they are in the Divine. (Divine Love and Wisdom 53)
Divine Love and Divine Wisdom are substance and are form. The idea of men in general about love and about wisdom is that they are like something hovering and floating in thin air or ether or like what exhales from something of this kind. Scarcely any one believes that they are really and actually substance and form. Even those who recognise that they are substance and form still think of the love and the wisdom as outside the subject and as issuing from it. For they call substance and form that which they think of as outside the subject and as issuing from it, even though it be something hovering and floating; not knowing that love and wisdom are the subject itself, and that what is perceived outside of it and as hovering and floating is nothing but an appearance of the state of the subject in itself. There are several reasons why this has not hitherto been seen, one of which is, that appearances are the first things out of which the human mind forms its understanding, and these appearances the mind can shake off only by the exploration of the cause; and if the cause lies deeply hidden, the mind can explore it only by keeping the understanding for a long time in spiritual light; and this it cannot do by reason of the natural light which continually withdraws it. The truth is, however, that love and wisdom are the real and actual substance and form that constitute the subject itself. (Divine Love and Wisdom 40)
Key Points From The Video
Divine Substance as Sustainer: Spiritual Christianity asserts that the Divine Substance is not only the Creator but also the continual sustainer of all creation, a process called “perpetual creation.”
Misconceptions of Space and Divine Magnitude: Common misconceptions arise when space is viewed as an independent entity, leading to erroneous beliefs about God’s omnipresence involving spatial magnitude.
Creation from State, Not Space and Time: Spiritual Christianity emphasises that the universe should be understood as created from the state of the human will and intellect rather than spatial and temporal dimensions.
Independence from Space and Time: The Divine Being is not extended in space nor mutable in time, reinforcing the distinction between finite spatial-temporal properties and the nature of God.
Divine Form and Non-Form: Natural and spiritual forms are finite and mutable, while the Divine Mind is infinite and non-form, indicating the absence of limitations inherent in space and time.
Essential Substance and Form: Jehovah is described as the Essential Substance, sustaining all through His spaceless omnipresence, and as the Essential Form, providing the initiaments of all forms.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What is meant by “perpetual creation” in the teachings for Spiritual Christianity?
a) The continuous sustenance of all creation by the Divine Substance.
b) The ongoing process of physical evolution.
c) The cyclical nature of creation and destruction.
d) The idea that creation happens only once in eternity.
Answer: a)
2. How does Spiritual Christianity suggest one should understand the creation of the universe?
a) As an event occurring in a specific place and time.
b) Through the concepts of space and temporal progression.
c) From the state of the human will and intellect.
d) As a series of physical transformations in space.
Answer: c)
3. Why does Spiritual Christianity reject the notion of Divine omnipresence involving spatial magnitude?
a) Because it limits God’s presence to physical forms.
b) Because it aligns God too closely with material objects.
c) Because it diminishes the infinite nature of God.
d) Because it implies that God exists in space as finite beings do.
Answer: d)
4. What does Spiritual Christianity mean by the Divine Mind being “Non-Form”?
a) The Divine Mind lacks any form of structure or order.
b) The Divine Mind cannot be perceived by human senses.
c) The Divine Mind is infinite and universal, free from limitations of form.
d) The Divine Mind changes form constantly.
Answer: c)
5. How does Spiritual Christianity describe Jehovah as the Essential Form?
a) Jehovah embodies all physical forms in creation.
b) Jehovah provides the initiaments of all forms, both spiritual and natural.
c) Jehovah has a fixed form that is eternal.
d) Jehovah’s form is the same as that of human beings.
Answer: b)
Reflective Questions
1. How does understanding Divine Substance as the continual sustainer of creation affect your perception of the relationship between the Creator and the created world?
•. Reflect on how this perspective influences your view of ongoing Divine involvement in the existence and maintenance of the universe.
2. In what ways does the idea of the Divine Mind as Non-Form challenge or expand your understanding of the nature of God?
• Consider how this concept alters or deepens your spiritual beliefs about God’s presence and influence beyond physical and perceptible forms.
3. How might the notion of creation from the state of human will and intellect, rather than space and time, impact your approach to understanding human creativity and purpose?
• Think about how this framework might influence your understanding of human agency, creativity, and the connection between human and Divine purpose.
Meditative Exercise
Dedicate 10-15 minutes to reflect on the idea of the Divine Substance as the sustainer of all creation. Contemplate how this continuous Divine action maintains existence. Consider specific aspects of your life or the world around you that reflect this sustaining presence. Journal any thoughts or realisations that come from this reflection.
Steps:
- Find a quiet space and sit comfortably.
- Close your eyes and take several deep breaths to centre yourself.
- Contemplate the concept that the Divine Substance continually sustains all existence, including your own life and surroundings.
- Reflect on examples in your life where this sustaining presence might be observed or felt.
- Write down any insights or reflections that arise during this exercise.
Creative Integration
Choose one of the key points from the video and try to express and integrate it creatively through your senses. Pick a modality to do this through, perhaps a different one from what you have chosen previously. Consider drawing or painting, making or listening to music, poetry, exercise, gardening, cooking, or even just watching the colourful or dramatic impressions of the natural world. There are so many ways you can engage with it. Record your insights from this exercise and also document any differences in what is awakened in you with this new modality.
You will have your own personal preferences, but here are two pieces of music and art that you might like to use for inspiration to get you started. Try to be sensitive to the emotions and thoughts that present as you engage with these, and reflect on how this might relate to your chosen key point.
Music
“The Lark Ascending” by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Visual Art
“Sky Above Clouds IV” by Georgia O’Keeffe
Further Exploration
He who, by some thought, can become accustomed to, and can comprehend [the idea of] Esse and Existere in itself can certainly become accustomed to the idea, and can comprehend that it is the Very and One Only [Reality]; that is called the Very Reality which Alone is, and that it is called the One Only from which every other thing is. Now because the Very and One Only is substance and form, it follows that it is the Very and One Only substance and form. And because this Very substance and form is Divine Love and Wisdom, it follows that it is the Very and Only Love and the Very and Only Wisdom; consequently, that it is the Very and Only Essence, as well as the Very and Only Life, for Life is Love and Wisdom. (Divine Love and Wisdom 45)
God is infinite because he is intrinsic reality and manifestation, and all things in the universe have reality and manifestation from him. So far I have shown that God is one, that he is the Absolute, that he is the primary reality that underlies all things, and that all that exists, takes shape, and endures in the universe is from him. It follows then that he is infinite. Just below [32] I will show that many phenomena in the created universe enable human reason to see the infinity of God. Yet although the human mind can use those phenomena to support an acknowledgment that the first entity or primary being is infinite, still it cannot come to know what the Infinite is like. The only way it can define the Infinite is to say that it is utterly without limits and self-sufficient, and is therefore the absolute and only substance. Because substance has no attributes without form, it is also the absolute and only form. What substance and form are in their full infinity, however, is not apparent. The human mind itself, even the most highly analytical and elevated mind, is finite; it cannot be rid of its own limitations. It will never have the capacity to see the infinity of God as it truly is, or God as he truly is. It can see God in a shadow from behind, as Moses was told to do when he begged to see God. He was put in a crevice in the rock and saw God’s back (Exodus 33:20-23). “God’s back” has as a general meaning the phenomena visible in the world and has as a specific meaning the things that are comprehensible in the Word. (True Christian Religion 28)
God is order because He is substance itself and form itself: substance, because all things which subsist came into existence and continue to exist from Him; and form, because every quality possessed by substances came, and continues to come, from Him; and quality results only from form. Now, because God is substance and form itself, the only and the first, and at the same time the only Love itself and the only Wisdom itself; and because wisdom from love constitutes form, and the quality of its state is according to the order in it, it follows that God is order itself; and consequently that God from Himself introduced order into the universe and into all its parts; and that He introduced the most perfect order, because all things He created were good, as it is written in the Book of Creation. It will be shown in due course that evil came into existence together with hell after Creation. Meanwhile attention will be directed towards such matters as more deeply enter, more clearly illumine and more gently impress the mind. (True Christian Religion 53)
Before Moving On To the Next Subsection: Heaven
Allow yourself the ‘time and space’ to process what you have worked through on these 8 modules on the Divine Being. Also, inner reflective work can give rise to states of uncertainty and conflict, as well as opening up many questions. If you would like to talk with someone to explore these more, then please Contact Us.